Picker stick guide for looms



March 5 J. w. CI-V-IILES 2,876,804

PICKER STICK GUIDE FOR LOOMS Filed 001;. 1, 1957 Him I -T-'I i 3/ I I E /7 I I iii W E! l9 INVENTOR 20 2i E? JOHN W C/I/zas ATTORNEY 2,876,804 PICKER STICK GUIDE FOR LOOMS John W. Chiles, Taylors, S. C. Application October 1, 1957, Serial No. 687,512 3 Claims. Cl. 139-255 The present invention relates to a picker stick guide for looms. I

Looms of the Northrop type, in which the working shuttle is provided automatically with a fresh-filling carrier or bobbin when the filling needs to be replenished, are so constructed that the incoming, fresh bobbin ejects the spent bobbin from the bottom of the shuttle and through a slot in the bottom of the shuttle box in which slot the picker stick oscillates. To guide the ejected bobbin into a suitable receptacle, the cut-away or slotted part of the lay has been provided with an inclined chute having a part thereof upwardly extending beyond and crossing the inner end of the path of the picker stick. Between the guide chute and the outer end of the slot the picker stick oscillates, and as filling replenishment is effected when the picker stick is at the outer end of its stroke, there is an open or exposed portion of the slot between the picker stick and chute when a bobbin will drop into such exposed part of the slot and jam the picker stick on its next inward stroke, causing more or less damage to the loom.

. In the These devices are complicated and costly, and often have not proved satisfactoryin operation upon;the loom. Consequently, it has occurred to me to modify somewhat the picker stick guide and bobbin ejection chute so as to widen somewhat the portion of the picker stick slot into which the ejected bobbin is likely to fall when it does not properly engage the chute and pass over the same in the normal manner. With my construction, when the ejected bobbin falls into the picker stick slot, while the picker stick is at the outer end of its travel, the bobbin will pass freely through the slot and into the receptacle, and the bobbin cannot become jammed in the slot or cause damage to the picker stick or other parts of the loom. With ly can cause no damage Accordingly, the primary object of the invention is to provide a picker stick guide and bobbin chute of such construction that when mounted upon the lay of the loom, the resultant picker stick guide slot is of such construction that the incorrectly ejected bobbins will pass freely through the slot without jamming or hanging and into the receptacle provided for the spent bobbins.

Another object of the invention is to provide a picker stick guide and slot, so formed that the ejected bobbin will pass freely through the slot, either when entirely empty, or free of the filling, or when it contains a considerable portion of the filling, as in cases where the filling is accidentally broken while the bobbin is in the 2,876,804 Patented Mar. TO, 1959 shuttle, and is ejected therefrom with part of the filling still thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a picker stick guide and ejected bobbin chute of highlysimplified and economical construction, wherein the device will not interfere with the normal operation of the picker stick or loom in the slightest manner. 4 I e Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 the associated la in accordance with the conventional teachings of the prior art, parts omitted and parts broken away for the sake of simplification.

Figure 2 is a similar side elevation of apicker stick guide and associated elements in accordance with the invention.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the element shown in Figure 2, partly in section, and parts omitted.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on line 44 of Figure 3. I

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, attention is directed first to Figures 2 to 4 inclusive, wherein the numeral 10 designates one end portion of the lay of the loom, above which the shuttle box and filling replenishing mechanisms, not shown, are located. The lay 10 is cut-away or recessed the drawings, as indicated at 11, to form one longitudinal side wall 12 of the usual picker stick slot 13.

and spaced from the side wall 12 and parallel therewith.

are secured dependingly to the bar portion 15 of the the picker stick guide 14 for use on certain models of looms which do not require the strap friction fingers. The picker stick guide 14 shown.

As a slight modification, I provide a short adapter plate 25 for the end of the picker stick guide, connected therewith by a bolt 26 which engages within the slot of the extension 24. This adapter plate 25 is desirable on certain models of looms where the lay of the loom is some;v

what longer than conventional, and in these cases'the adapter plate 25 has its outer end rigidly connected at 27 by a bolt, or the like, with the lay end casting, not shown. I also contemplate omitting entirely the adapter plate 25 on conventional looms where it is not needed,

is a side elevation of a picker stick guide and,

at its end shown inejected bobbins over the chute in a well not shown, and these fingersconventional manner.v II also contemplate omitting the fingers 22 and 23 entirely, from further comprises at one end' an integral longitudinal slotted extension 24, for rigidconnection with the conventional lay end casting, not" and in this case, as stated, the extension 24 is secured directly. to. the. lay end casting.

Reference is now made to Figure l of the drawings,

wherein all of the conventional elements previously described are shown as. they appear. on conventional looms. In Figure 1, it will be noted that the upper longitudinal edge..28: of.the: bobbinchute 17 is substantially at or a littleabovethe top of the bar portion 15. The upper edge 28. in Figure 1 is, also straight, and therefore spaced the same; distancefrom the side wall 12 of thelay throughout its length. This is in accordance: with the teachings of the prior" art, and the construction is such that the picker-stick guide slot formed between the lay picker stick guide. 14 is of thesame width throughout its entire length, as defined by the bar portion 15 and upper edge 28 of the chute 17. In accordance with the prior art, asv exemplifiedby Figure l, the picker stick guideslot is of suflicient width to accommodate the pickerstick, not shown, but of insufficient width to allow thehead 29 of the bobbin 30 to pass therethrough, when the improperly ejected bobbin happens to fall into the picker stick guide slot, rather than passing over the ejection chute 17 in the normal manner, as shown in broken lines in Figure 1. Consequently, with continued reference to Figure 1, when an improperly ejected bobbin 30. enters the picker stick slot between the lay 10 and picker stick guide 14, it will hang up or become jammed therein, as shown by the bobbin 30 illustrated in full lines in Fig ure 1. If the bobbin 30 also happens to be only partially depleted of the filling when ejected from the shuttle, and if such a partially filled bobbin acc'dentally enters the picker" stick slot, the filling bearing portion ofthe bobbin will become tightly jammed within the picker stick slot. In'the'case of'an empty or spent bobbin 30 or a partially filled bobbin, the bobbinwill not be able to passentirely through the picker stick slot and will become jammed or'hung up therein, asillustrated in Figure 1. This condition causesthe picker stick upon its inward stroke to strike the bobbin 30, and this of course damages or destroys the bobbin and also causes serious damage to the picker stick and associated parts of the loom. This damage is difiicult and expensive to repair, aside from the fact that the loom is'shut down sometimes for a considerable period of time, until the loom fixer has an opportunity torepair the damage. In certain mills, the annual expense incurred from damaged bobbins alone has been known to run into thousands of dollars. In addition to this, much production is lost due to the loom being shut down for repairs, and frequently, expensive parts of the 100m are damaged and must be replaced.

Refern'ngagain to Figures 2 to 4 inclusive, in the present invention I merely cut away the upper edge 31 of the ejected bobbin chute 17 along a gradually curved line between the rib 21 and straight bar portion 15, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The thus formed edge 31 of'the guide chute 17 blends-gradually into the straight sidewall 16' ofthe bar portion 15, asshown; at 32 in Figure 3. The opposite'end' portionofthe curved edge 31' likewise: blends or curves smoothly' into" the side of;

the rib2l-as at 33'.

Itmay now be seen that the cut-away'upper edge 31 of, the; chute 17 in Figures 2 to 4 forms the innerportion of one side wall of the picker stick slot, and the arrangement is such by virtue of the cut-away edge 31, that the inner portion of the picker stick slot 13, adjacent to thechute 17, is considerably wider than themajor; portiomof theslot along. the barportion 15, Figure 3.

With this arrangement, whenever an improperly ejected bobbin30, whether empty or still carrying part of.the filling, strikes the rib 21 and enters the picker stick .slot 13, as shown in Figure 2, theentire bobbin 30 is able to passfreely through the enlarged portion of the picker stickslot, adjacent to the curved edge 31, and this pas-. sage of the-bobbin through iniFiguIesZ to 4 ofthe drawings. The portionlof the 10 and the slot 13 is clearly indicated slot 13 adjacent to the curved edge 31 is sufiiciently wide to accommodate the widest portion of the bobbin, which is its head 29. As shown in broken lines in Figure 2, the lower narrow end of the bobbin 30 may actually swing through the narrower portion of the slot 13 adjacent to the bar portion 15, before the bobbin becomes vertically disposed within the wider portion of the picker stick slot. This makes no difierence, however, since even the narrower portion of the slot 13 is sufiiciently wide to accommodate the lower slender end of the ejected bobbin. Suffice to say, that in actual practice'upon a loom, I have found that with my construction of the picker stick guide 14 as shown in Figures-2 to 4, all of the improperly ejected bobbins which happen to enter the picker stick slot are able to pass freely therethrough, in the manner explained above and shown clearly in the drawings. My construction eliminates the need for any means, mechanical or otherwise, for covering or protecting the picker stick slot 13' while the picker stick is at the outer end of its travel. I simply allow the improperly ejected bobbins which enter the picker stick slot to fall freely therethrough, and the bobbins never'hang up or jam in the slotand cause the above-described damage to the picker stick and other parts of the loom. Also, damage to thebobbins is totally eliminated with my construction. The

invention requires no other modification whatsoever of' other than the forma-' the conventional loom construction, tion or cuttingaway of the top edge portion of the chute 17, as shown at 31. This simple operation results in thewidening of the inner end portion of the picker stick slot 13 sufiiciently to allow ner, and only the small portion or percentageof bobbins which are improperly ejected will enter and pass through the picker stick slot 13. My construction does not interfere'in any manner with the normal operation of the picker stick or loom. The widening of thepicker stick 16 of the picker stick slot, upon outward movement of the picker stick.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a pref ferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, sorted to, without departing from the'spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims;

Having thus described my invention,

1. In a loom, a lay having a recess wall of a picker stick guide slot, a picker stick guide associated with the lay and having a substantially straight barportion forming the other guide slot; and an ejected bobbin chute forming a part of I claim:

the picker: stick'guide' and being cut-away near its top,

edge'portion and a straight edge portion leading to and the curved edge.

connected with said curved edgeportion, portion of the guide forming with the lay an inner end portion of the picker stick guide slot which is somewhat wider than the remainder of the guide slot formed by the lay with the straight edge portion of the picker stick guide, whereby improperly ejected bobbins may enter and pass'freelythrough the relatively wide inner eud'portion .ofi-said guide-slot;

the passage of the improperly ejected bobbins therethrough without interference. It will be understood, that the normally or properly ejected bobbins continue to pass over the chute 17 in the normal manguiding the picker stick outwardly for re-engagement with the straight side wall size and arrangement of parts may be re forming one side side wall of the picker stick freely' through the widened inner 3. In a loom, a lay having a recess forming one side wall of a picker stick guide slot, a picker stick guide secured to said lay adjacent to the recess of the lay and having a straight bar portion forming with the lay an opposite side wall portion of the picker stick slot, said picker stick guide including an inclined ejected bobbin chute having an upper edge, said upper edge being out below and somewhat laterally outwardly of the straight side wall portion of the picker stick slot formed by said straight bar portion, whereby the portion of the picker stick guide slot adjacent to the upper edge of said chute is somewhat wider than the-remainder of the picker stick guide slot between said lay and straight bar portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Baber June 16, 1908 Bell Nov. 4, 1941 Brown Jan. 18, 1949 Frohman May 1, 1951 Carroll Mar. 12, 1957 

